


Roman's First Encounter with Little Virgil

by DannyisDone



Series: First Encounters (Sanders Sides Agere) [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Caregiver Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Age Play Caregiver Deceit | Janus Sanders, Age Play Little Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Age Regression, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Being Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Familial Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, If I didn't tag something please lmk, Non-Sexual Age Play, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Dark Sides (Sanders Sides), Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27709913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DannyisDone/pseuds/DannyisDone
Summary: This story contains Age Regression and is NOT sexualWhile trying to help Thomas solve his creative slump, the sides decide to bring Thomas into the imagination, but refuse to let Virgil come along, worried that the Imagination's power would negatively affect him. Angered by his exclusion, Virgil decided to try and prove them wrong.+++Warnings: Virgil gets into a fight with his fellow sides, Swearing, Remus being Remus, Panic attacks, a bit of manipulation, crying, physical fighting. If I need to add more please let me know! (Will update with new chapters as well)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Series: First Encounters (Sanders Sides Agere) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017849
Comments: 31
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a really hard one to write because I wanted to start it off with something more akin to an actual Sanders Sides video, but I absolutely loathe trying to type back and forth dialogue (I am also incredibly not bright, so witty banter is not my strong suit.) Also, this first chapter does not contain any age regression, just wanted it to set up the plot. If you would like to skip right to the age regression, then you may skip this chapter, though you may miss a bit of important plot stuff. Also, if you have any feedback about how I could improve the dialogue of this scene so that it rings a bit truer to the actual show, please share it! And as always, if there are any glaring Grammatical or Spelling errors, don't hesitate to point those out as well. 
> 
> The next chapter hasn't been started yet, but hopefully I can get it out today or tomorrow. Also wow! A chapter that is significantly less than 5,000 words, go me!

Thomas was sitting on his couch, scrolling through Instagram, when his attention was suddenly being jerked away, Virgil appearing before him. 

“Thomas! What are you doing?” Virgil asked in a hurried tone, clearly bothered by something. 

“Uh… Looking at cute cat videos?” He suggested as a response. Virgil groaned and rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood to be playing around. 

“Right, and what are you supposed to be doing?” He asked, gesturing towards where Roman normally stood. 

“Hm...You’re right. If I want cute cats, I definitely should be using Tik Tok instead.” Thomas said, quickly switching from one app to the other. 

“No! Thomas it’s your scriptwriting day, don’t tell me you forgot.” 

“Oh, most certainly not.” Logan said, suddenly rising up with a calendar in his hands. “It’s been in the calendar for a while.” 

“And I know you’re purposefully avoiding a text from Joan about it, so what gives?” Virgil asked. Thomas sighed before standing up from the couch, phone placed back in his pocket. Apparently, it was gonna be one of those problem-solving days. 

“I’m not ignoring Joan…” Thomas started but was quickly stopped by Virgil. 

“No no no, no lying. We are NOT playing those games today.” He said, looking around just to make sure Thomas’s words hadn’t already summoned the deceitful side. Thomas at least looked a bit ashamed about it. 

“Alright, so I’m ignoring Joan, but--” Thomas paused as if someone else were going to fill the space he provided where he couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse as to why he didn’t want to do the scriptwriting. 

However, when he was only met with silence, he just shook his head, defeated. 

“Look, I’m just having a hard time coming up with any good ideas!” He explained, looking towards his two sides. 

“Ah, well, if it’s a trouble with your ideas, then you should be calling on Roman, not us.” Logan said, tossing the calendar behind him. “He’s a bit more equipped to handle these sorts of things.”

“I didn’t call either of you, you just sort of appeared--” Thomas pointed out, but was soon interrupted by Roman. He rose up with a dramatic sigh, no longer dressed in his princely attire, but rather grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt. 

“What is even the point of being called when you can’t even do your part?” Roman exclaimed, though his tone gave way to dramatics, proving to the other’s that he was perhaps overexaggerating. 

“Oh, well that’s a look,” Thomas said, looking over Roman with skepticism. 

“A really really bad look, why are you dressed like that?” Virgil asked, checking Roman out. He could tell that Roman was feeling guilty about his creative slump, even if he was being way too overdramatic about it. 

“Oh Virgil, you wouldn’t understand.” Roman started, holding his hand up as if to hide his face. “To feel so dejected, so useless…” He closed his eyes, playing into the part, before peering over at the anxious side. 

“Well, actually, maybe you do, but this one’s about me so,” Virgil rolled his eyes at that. 

“Aw, Roman, you’re not useless,” Thomas said, but Roman just shook his head.

“I am your Creativity! I should be feeding you ideas of sustenance! Instead, I am starving you, and it’s making you fill that hole with adorable cat videos.” Roman exclaimed, gesturing towards Thomas’s phone. 

“Did someone say adorable cat videos?” Patton asked, rising up. 

“Did someone say fill that hole?” Remus interjected, popping up behind the tv. Roman let out a scream and immediately turned around, knocking his brother on the head. 

“No, absolutely not, this is about me! We don’t need you,” He said, pushing Remus back down. The other cackled, but allowed himself to be sunk back out. 

Thomas let out a soft sigh. This wasn’t getting them anywhere close to solving his issues. “Okay so, I’m having problems coming up with ideas, is everything okay with you Roman?” He asked, looking towards his creativity with worried eyes. 

“No, everything is not okay,” Roman said in a near pout. “I’ve not managed to come up with a single good idea, and it’s making Virgil do his whole ‘Everything is falling apart time for a crisis.’ thing.” He waved his hand around as he spoke. 

“Everything can fall apart if we don’t start working on videos again soon,” Virgil reminded, though it was also a bit of an exaggeration, Virgil prone to his own bursts of dramatics, though they were completely different Roman’s.

“And I am sure you have great ideas still, Roman!” Patton encouraged, smiling over at the other. “Quick! Toss me one now.” He said, summoning a softball and tossing it towards Roman. The other fumbled to catch it. 

“Uh uh, what if we made a video about how the fall of the Byzantine empire?” He suggested, clumsily tossing the softball towards Virgil. 

“That doesn’t even fit the theme of our channel.” Virgil groaned, catching the ball and quickly tossing it towards Logan. 

“Plus, Thomas doesn’t know anything about the Byzantine’s, nor would one be able to make an effective video about it all in the span of 40 minutes,” Logan explained, catching the softball and tossing it towards Thomas. 

“Try again!” Thomas encouraged, tossing the ball back to Roman, who once again struggled to catch it. 

“W-well what if we did a video about how to be a good friend?” Roman asked, tossing the ball to Virgil once more. 

“That’s way too broad!!” Virgil threw the ball back at Roman. 

“Or one exploring Thoma’s desire of being on Broadway?” Roman began to sound very unsure of himself as he tossed the ball back towards Virgil. 

“That’s way too specific! Why would anyone care?” The ball was thrown back at Roman, who only barely managed to catch it. 

“A video about how America’s current political drama is affecting people?” The ball practically rolled out of Roman’s hands back to Virgil, his voice growing just a bit squeaker. Virgil caught the ball and jerked it back. 

“That would be alienating to all our non-American watchers and also a real bummer, so no.” Virgil wound to throw back at Roman but was suddenly stopped by a loud whistle filling the room. He quickly dropped the ball and made to cover his ears as did Roman and Thomas. Everyone turned to look at Patton, who was now sporting a bright blue whistle. 

“Alright! That’s a foul, you two need a timeout!” Patton said, tossing a pink flag into the middle of the room. Roman and Virgil shuffled a bit, embarrassed by their actions. 

“Why pink?” Thomas asked. “Not that I know much about sports, but I am pretty sure they aren’t pink.” 

“Because I pink that these two need to be separated for a bit. And also because I just like the color.” Patton said, before turning his attention back towards Roman and Virgil. 

“The ideas that you suggested weren’t bad, Roman,” Patton explained, his eyes growing soft. Roman smiled slightly at the other. “Except maybe the Byzantine one.” He quickly added. 

“That one was objectively the weakest,” Logan spoke up. 

“I couldn’t even begin to tell you how little I know about that part of history,” Thomas said, before looking towards Roman. He at least seemed comforted by Patton’s words. 

“However, it does appear that perhaps Virgil’s anxiety is making you feel like they are bad ideas,” Logan explained, looking over at the said side. Virgil looked offended. 

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” He defended, looking around at the others. “I don’t hate his ideas, I’m just worried that they aren’t going to be good enough!” He felt a bit guilty. He hadn’t meant to cause Roman to second guess himself, but he couldn’t help it. He signed. 

“But maybe I am being too hard on you, but it isn’t like a can just reel it in,” He pulled the hoodie around him tighter, feeling everyone’s eyes bore into him.

“We know that, Virge.” Patton said softly, making the anxious side shy away from his kindness, never really knowing what to do when people were nice to him. ”Maybe Roman and Thomas just need to spend some time where they can focus exclusively on ideas, and then they can be a bit stronger when they come to you!” Patton’s suggestion made Roman perk up suddenly. 

“And I know exactly how we can do it!” Roman said, suddenly spinning around, his regular outfit appearing on him in a flash. “Thomas, let’s go into your imagination!” He declared. 

“Oooh, it can be like a little field trip,” Patton said, looking towards Thomas. 

“I’m sorry, I’m not following.” Thomas said, rubbing his temples. It seems like he was constantly learning something knew about his strange magically brain. 

“Aw, why not?” Patton asked, frowning. 

“You can’t exactly lead us there, you don’t know where it is.” Logan explained. Thomas shook his head. 

“No, I mean, I don’t understand. We can just enter my imagination?” He asked. Roman seemed to light up. 

“Yes of course Thomas! We can go in there, and really focus ourselves and come up with our best, most riveting video yet!” He stood triumphantly, relishing in his brilliant thought, before his face screwed up and he pointed towards Virgil. “Except Virgil can’t come.”

“What?? Why?” Virgil asked, setting his glare towards Roman. 

“Because you’d do your whole ‘Worst Case Scenario’ thing, and muck up the whole plan, is why.” Roman said. He was clearly shooting for friendly banter, but when he looked at the upset in Virgil’s eyes, he realized that perhaps Virgil really wasn’t aware of why he wouldn’t fare well in the Imagination. 

“What I think Roman means to say, Virge, is that the Imagination is pretty powerful, and you tend to…” Patton tried to think of a kind way to say it. 

“Overexaggerate the situation and come to unfounded conclusions?” Everyone suddenly whipped their head towards the new voice. Janus was leaning against the staircase behind Logan, boredly looking at his gloves. 

“Great, who invited William Snakespeare?” Roman asked, rolling his eyes. Virgil hissed at the intruder. 

“Ooh, I never tire of my presence being unwanted.” Janus said, stepping towards the group. Logan stepped aside, making room. 

“What are you doing here, Janus? Is somebody lying?” Thomas asked, wondering if perhaps Virgil could enter the imagination. (Or maybe he absolutely COULD do the Byzantine video...)

“Nope, no lies here I’m afraid. I am just here to offer my humble opinion.” Though there was never a good way to know if Janus was lying or not, unless it was clear exaggeration. But Thomas had decided he would try and listen to Janus more, even if some of the others disagreed. 

“Well you aren’t changing my mind, Lyin’ King! Virgil would not do well in the Imagination.” Roman took a deep breath, prepared to give his speech about how the Imagination worked, but was cut off by Janus. 

“I completely agree with you.” 

There was an awkward silence as everyone tried to figure out whether he was lying or not, and Janus didn’t seem invested enough to try and clear the air. He spared one look at Virgil, who clearly looked very torn and slightly hurt. 

“So you, uh, you think Virgil shouldn’t go in the imagination as well?” Roman finally asked, knowing the clarification was needed. He also spared a look at Virgil, but the other was staring directly at Janus, practically daring him. 

“Yes, I think that Virgil going in the imagination could do great harm to his mental health,” He explained. 

“This is bullshit!” Virgil yelled. “Are you all seriously considering leaving me behind?” He asked, first looking towards Patton, since he already knew how the Prince felt about the matter. Patton shuffled under the sharp stare. 

“We aren’t leaving you behind, Virgil. We just know how you work and--” Patton was suddenly cut off with a loud yell. 

“Come on, you guys could give me a little freaking credit! Logan?” Virgil looked towards Logan, his eyes almost pleading with the other to agree with him. Logan stood a bit straighter, unable to look the other in the eye. 

“The Imagination has the power to create anything that one can imagine. That power can be very beneficial when it comes to creation and such. But it isn’t a fair power either. If you were to enter and began speculation on all the ways something could go wrong--”

“Then it would be created, and you wouldn’t know how to handle that.” Janus finished for Logan, looking Virgil in the eyes. He made to step forward, but Virgil jerked away from the other, pressing himself against the stairs. 

“I cannot believe you guys aren’t taking my side on this!” He yelled, before looking at Thomas. “Tell them I can go.” He said, but it came out more like a beg. Thomas looked back at him with sad eyes. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt Virgil…” He started. The anxious side stared in disbelief at all of them. He closed his eyes and shook his head. 

“Whatever,” Was the last thing he said before sinking out, unable to hide the waver in his voice. Everyone watched him with varying degrees of worry. Patton’s eyes were watering, clearly upset that he had hurt his friend. Roman looked guilty, but felt a bit justified in his decision, knowing everyone agreed that it was for the best. Logan moved closer towards Thomas. 

“This may feel harsh, but we promise that this is for the best.” Logan explained. Thomas gave a heavy sigh. 

“I believe you, it just doesn’t make it feel any better.” He said, hugging himself lightly, before peering up at Janus. 

Janus looked back at him. “I’ll check on him. You guys should still go to the Imagination. You still have obligations to attend to and what not.” He said with a dismissive wave. Thomas wasn’t sure he was really in the mood anymore, considering how sour the conversation had gone, but Patton and Roman both looked at him with small smiles. 

“You don’t have to, if you aren’t up to it.” Patton reassured. “But we could still have a lot of fun, then when you finish your meeting with Joan, we can try and make it up to Virgil.” He explained. Roman nodded in agreement.

“Hm, do you think ‘We Are So Very Sorry You Couldn’t Join Us in the Imagination.’ would fit on a cake?” Roman asked, before waving his hands dismissing the thought. “Oh, it doesn’t matter, we can create literally anything in the Imagination.” He said, before looking at Thomas, hopeful that he would still go. 

Thomas sighed, before offering his own small smile. “Okay, let’s go. But we can’t stay too long, I really do need to let Joan know I’m still coming, just a bit late. He explained. Roman smiled and sank out, guiding Thomas with him. 

Patton looked over at Logan and Janus with a soft sigh. “He’ll be okay, right?” He asked. 

“While I can’t say how Virgil is feeling, I believe that he will understand why we made the decision.” Logan reasoned. Patton looked towards Janus, who offered him a nod. 

“Like I said, I will check on him. Go have your little adventure or whatever.” Janus waved Patton away, who finally sunk out. 

“He won’t be happy to see you.” Logan said, raising an eyebrow at Janus. He wasn’t sure why Janus was so insistent on it when it was clear Virgil had not wanted him around. Janus only shrugged. 

“I don’t care if he’s happy,” That small lie was a bitter one. “I care that he’s safe.” And with that, Janus sunk out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus follows after Virgil to make sure he's okay after the fight. However, while trying to do what he thinks is best to help Virgil, he ends up deeply hurting the other in ways Janus is unsure he will be able to fix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! It does showcase a bit of Virgil's regression, but I will be honest and say that it isn't sweet or loving. Sorry if this one ends up feeling too dark or sad for some people! I will try and write something very fluffy after this story to make up for it >.< Also, I will say that I went into this story without it fully being mapped out, so I have been flip flopping between ideas, which is why this one seems so much shorter! And as always, if you see any glaring spelling or grammatical errors, please don't hesitate to point them out!
> 
> Edit: I was just rereading chapter one, is this too much emotional whip lash?? I really said 'Okay time to jump into angst!' If this ends up bothering people I may need to rework some of this aspipfkj
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, Fighting, a bit of manipulation, crying, a bit of Remus being Remus (He's only there for like a few lines) and two really sad boys ;-;. If additional warnings need added please let me know!

When Janus rose back up, he found himself in the Light Side’s common room. He took a look around, taking in the scenery. The degree to which the whole place screamed ‘This is a home!’ made Janus’s stomach twist in knots, a slight pang of longing filling him. But he needed to stay focused. 

He moved through the room and found a flight of stairs. He walked up them, looking for Virgil’s bedroom. Once upstairs, it wasn’t hard to determine whose room belonged to who, they certainly chose to wear their interests right on their sleeves (or in this case, doors). Logan’s door was perhaps the simplest, just a dark blue door with a ‘Please Knock Before Entry’ sign. Patton’s was the most decorated, painted a light blue and had all of his favorite things either painted or taped on. Roman’s door was eccentric, resembling something more akin to a museum entryway, with arches and everything. The sight made Janus role his eyes, before he finally found his target. 

Virgil’s door was a dark purple, with spirals of black paint. It was much different from the door he used to have. Janus signed, pushing the memory away, before he knocked on the door carefully. 

“Piss off, Janus.” Came a response from the other side. Janus was not surprised that the other had continued to listen in on the conversation even after he had left. 

“You know we’re right.” Janus said, though it held no malice. Janus wasn’t doing any of this to try and hurt the other. He knew that he could be a bit snarky with Virgil, but the moment he had peaked into the conversation and saw that they were talking about going into the Imagination, he had known he needed to make his opinion heard. Everyone was fairly aware that Virgil’s thoughts could be dangerous there. But Janus knew first hand. 

“I don’t care!” Virgil screamed, still refusing to open the door. “I don’t care that you’re right and I don’t care that I wasn’t allowed to go!” A sharp thud came across the door, jerking Janus back from the sound. He could presume Virgil had kicked it, considering where the sound came from. The taste of the sour lies Virgil told were almost unbearable. 

“Virgil, I understand that you are upset. However, throwing a tantrum isn’t going to solve anything.” He said, but was suddenly shocked when the door swung open. 

Virgil’s eyeshadow was running down his face, tears continuing their unrelenting flow. The glare that Janus received could almost send him reeling with how sharp it was, despite the mess of his face. 

“Stop it.” Virgil’s tone was one of warning. “I know what you’re doing.” 

Janus did know what he was doing, and didn’t let up, hoping to see his plan all the way through. “Vee, it’s okay that you’re upset. But let’s try and work through it differently.” He reasoned, but Virgil was shaking his head. 

“Stop it, please.” He begged, his resolve wavering. He was acutely aware of what Janus was trying to make happen. And he knew that it would work. It had always worked. And though it had managed to make him feel better in the past, he felt like he was being corned, like he was trapped against the wall and the only escape was through Janus. He felt his lip wobble, unsure he could fight it. 

Janus took a step closer, putting himself between the door so it couldn’t be slammed on him. “I’m sorry that you’re hurting, and I know that I’m not your first choice, but I am here for you, always.” Janus watched carefully. If Virgil grew angry, if he demanded that he stop or leave again, he would. But the moment he had heard Virgil’s last word before he sunk out, he knew that he needed to make sure that he was safe, that he wasn’t going to be alone. 

Virgil could feel that warmth, that care, and it broke him.

He suddenly began to bawl, letting the sadness and frustration replace his anger. He was immediately being held by Janus. Virgil clung tightly to the other, but couldn’t hug him back. The fact that Janus could even tell that he was regressing, even after all these years, made Virgil want to scream. He had been regressing on his own for so long now, and had longed for a moment like this, where he was small and sad and being held in safe arms once more. And of course, it had to be Janus. 

“I hate you!” Virgil screamed, but refused to pull away, he didn’t want to pull away. He wanted to be held and tucked into bed and told everything would be okay. He wanted this to be anyone else, but everyone had left him behind, telling him he couldn’t come along. 

“I know,” Janus said in a soft voice, gently petting Virgil’s hair exactly how he liked it. He continued to let the regressed boy cry against him. He could sense that Virgil’s words were only a half truth, but it still hurt to hear. “Let it out, it’s okay.”

So that’s what Virgil did. 

“I hate you! I hate that you care about me! I hate that you told everyone I couldn’t go into the Imagination! I hate that everyone left me!” Virgil buried his face into Janus’s shoulder and wailed, pulling tight on the other’s shirt as well, wringing it in his fingers. He hated this part of regression. It was supposed to help him cope, so why did it make him feel so vulnerable and afraid? 

Janus didn’t say anything, just continued to hold the little in his arms. He ended up summoning all his hands to offer more comforts. One kept stroking Virgil’s hair, one rubbed his back, one cradled him close and another wiped at the tears forming in Janus’s eyes. He gently began rocking them, which started to calm the other down.

“I’m sorry we hurt you, Vee.” Janus finally spoke up once Virgil’s cries had been boiled down to small whispers. “No one ever wants to hurt you.”

“Then why did you?” Virgil asked, still refusing to pull away. “Why wouldn’t you just let me go?” Janus couldn't help but notice the words sounded awfully like a conversation they had had years ago, but he buried that away. He couldn’t focus on the past right now. 

“The Imagination can be cruel to minds like ours, Vee. It doesn’t just create things you think, it can create things that lurk just below your surface thoughts as well.” He explained, guiding Virgil further into the room. Virgil allowed himself to be sat in the bed, trying to wipe at his face with his sleeve. Janus guided the arm away though, summoning a makeup wipe, before he began gently wiping the other’s face. 

“It isn’t kind. Roman and Remus have learned to tame it well, and Patton and Logan are very good at schooling their thoughts.” Janus kept his tone soft and gentle, hoping the other would understand. “You and I wouldn’t do well there. Not when our fears lurk so close to the surface.” When he finished wiping the makeup off, a small smile formed on Janus’s face. He hadn’t seen a barefaced Virgil in years. He summoned the wipe away. Virgil was significantly calmed down, but clearly still hurting. 

“I can stop it--” He started, but was cut off by a warm hand falling on his shoulder. 

“We can’t make it stop, and no one would ask you to try.” He said. Virgil looked away, trying to keep himself from leaning into Janus’s soft touches. He chewed on his lip lightly. He was still so angry and hurt, especially with Janus. Because while the others had already decided that Virgil shouldn’t go into the Imagination, Janus had gone out of his way to pop up and say the same thing. 

“I’m not like you.” Virgil said suddenly, and Janus could tell almost immediately that he was no longer regressed. Or maybe his anger was so deep, it wouldn’t matter if he was regressed or not, because the sentiment would still be the same, bitter and full of hatred. It made Janus ache. 

“We’re more alike than you think.” Janus offered, but it was clearly the wrong thing to say. Virgil was suddenly gripping the comforter he sat on tightly. When he looked back at Janus, his eyeshadow had returned, a darkened black void that would let nothing escape. 

“We are NOTHING alike!” Virgil yelled, causing Janus to stand up and move away from the bed. “I don’t go popping up where I’m not needed! I don’t go around telling people how they should live their lives! And I don’t use people’s secrets as leverage to get what I want!” Virgil’s words sent dark vibrations throughout the room that made it almost unbearable. Janus made to cover his ears to block out some of the noise, but it wouldn’t matter anyways, he could feel the loudness in his bones. Bittersweetness filed his tongue and threatened to make him gag, and he couldn’t tell what parts of Virgil’s words were true and what were lies, if any of them were lies to begin with. He hadn’t meant to make Virgil feel used, he had only wanted to protect the other, as he had failed to do so many times before. But Virgil wasn’t wrong. He had come here, used sweet words to force Virgil to regress, and for what? He could feel a deep writhing in his stomach that really would lead to him throwing up if he didn’t leave. 

“Virgil, I’m so sorry--” And he truly was, and if he could ever make that sentiment more known, now would be the time. Virgil had every right to be angry and to push the other way. He had tried to get Virgil to regress because he thought it would help the other, but clearly it had only hurt him worse. While he could justify to himself that he had done it with the best intentions, he could not bear to see how much it had hurt the other. 

Virgil seemed to hesitate at the apology. Something small in him longed to be in Janus’s arms again, to let the other take care of his aching heart and make it better. But he couldn’t trust Deceit, even now he was still manipulating him, though Virgil could sense that even that had been in an attempt at taking care of him. But it didn’t matter. Virgil was going to prove him wrong. Prove that he wasn’t like Janus, and that he didn’t need him. 

“Go.” Was the final thing Virgil said, no longer with the strength his words had once had, but with just the right amount of venom. Janus stood a bit straighter, willing his resolve not to crack. He could be harsh back. He could commit to his villainous role and snark back at him, but he had nothing. Because he never wanted to hurt Virgil, least of all in such a personal way. 

“I mean it when I say I will always be there for you,” Janus whispered to anything that wasn’t Virgil, letting his words rest where they landed, before he found himself walking towards the door. Once he was back into the hallway, the door slammed behind him. He took in a deep breath, wondering what this meant. Wondering if he would ever find a place in Virgil’s life again. He leaned against the door and began to slide down it, his body reacting to his inability to hold the weight of his wrong actions anymore. He didn’t bother trying to listen through the door, not wanting to invade the other’s life anymore than he already had. With the final bit of energy he had in him, he summoned Remus. 

Remus appeared with a pop, his Morning Star held high above his head as if he was about to attack what stood in front of him. When he blinked, he realized he was no longer in the imagination, terrorizing the new creations Roman had created while playing with Thomas. What he saw was a weary eyed Janus, who looked at him. 

“I fucked up, Remus.” He whispered, “And I don’t know if I will ever be able to fix it.” Whether Janus was talking about this very instant of fuckery, or perhaps the countless mistakes in the past he had made, it hardly mattered. Remus let the Morning Star disappear from his hands, before he bent down towards his friend. 

“Not everything can be fixed, Snakey. Some of the raddest shit comes after something breaks.” Janus took no peace from the words, but found comfort in the side trying to comfort him. When he was being lifted up by the other, he didn’t question it. Janus took one last look at the door, before closing his eyes. 

On the other side of that door, Virgil finally laid down in his bed, letting his own exhaustion finally take him over. He closed his eyes, curling up on himself. 

“I’ll show him, I’m nothing like him. I’m okay being on my own.” Virgil whispered, and even from far away, Janus could taste the sour lie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to prove everyone wrong, Virgil goes into the imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3! I believe there will be one more chapter after this! This one is a mix of fun happy baby Virgil, and an absolute nightmare of a time. So please make sure you read with caution! Feedback is appreciated! I am sorry that this one is so sad, like I said in the last chapter, when I finish this story I'm gonna write some fun fluffy stuff. And as always, if there are any glaring spelling or grammatical errors, please feel free to point them out!
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, fighting, panic attacks, physical fighting, crying. If any additional warnings need added, please let me know!

Hours passed where Virgil remained stuck in the miserable between of being partially regressed. It would have been so easy to slip into, to let his mind get fuzzy and embrace the safety that came with it, if it hadn’t been for Janus. Now Virgil felt on edge, like if he would slip he would crawl right back to the deceitful side and let himself be vulnerable with the other. 

At some point Virgil had fallen asleep, but it had done nothing to ease his brain towards one state or another. He would even take aging up over this, because then at least he could get out of bed and get some food, or turn on the lights, or anything. Instead he felt resigned to lay, cuddling his purple puppy plush (Named Poppy for the continued alliteration) close to his chest. Even when he heard knocking on the door, an exuberant Roman on the other side begging him to come out and see what they had created (without him…), he could do nothing but weakly mumble that he was tired, hoping that would be enough.

Then when the next side came, that turned to slight annoyance, Patton’s voice making it so much harder to find comfort in being alone, since he could immediately tell his friend was worried about him. But he offered the same excuse, even when Patton tried to explain they had made something for him. 

Logan stopped by as well, though he at least didn’t seem inclined to try and force Virgil out. He knocked and asked if the other was hungry and if he would like dinner brought to his door. Virgil let out a small “Whatever,” that was much tamer than the one he had said earlier. 

True to his word, a half hour later, Logan returned with a knock, letting Virgil know that a plate was outside the door, before footsteps walked away. Virgil looked at the door, almost summoning enough energy in him to walk towards it and retrieve the meal, but he eventually just laid himself back down, rolling over and staring at the wall instead. Virgil couldn't even feel grateful that someone had bothered to bring him anything, his mind kept racing with thoughts. 

‘Now they want my company, after they brushed me aside’   
‘They’ve been doing that a lot, sidelining me’   
‘Am I still good enough to be their friend?’  
‘What if they think I’m too weak?’

The last one was striking. It didn’t seem to align much with his normal worries, but once it was thought it began to blossom in his chest, a viney, thorny fear that threatened to squeeze him too tightly. He had always been afraid that he made Thomas weak, that he held him back. What if he was weak too? What if he was broken beyond repair, and no one wanted to put up with him anymore?

The thoughts racing in his mind seemed to make his consciousness’s decision about his regression, and suddenly a fully adult Virgil was sitting up in his bed. He rubbed a hand over his face, smearing his makeup just a bit, but with a snap it was easily fixed. He peered over at the alarm clock that sat beside his bed. 11:00 p.m? Where had the time gone…

He pushed his legs over the edge of the bed and sighed. He needed to get out of this bed and away from the thoughts. When he stood he made his way towards the bathroom, no plan in mind about what he would do when he got there. 

He switched the lights on and was immediately met with his own reflection. Though his makeup magically fixed itself, it did little to hide the redness of his eyes and the tear streaks that remained on his face. He touched his cheek lightly, a sudden memory of how Janus had tenderly wiped the makeup and tears away just hours ago. 

His face scrunched up and he pushed the thought away, letting his hand fall back down to his side. 

He walked towards the sink and picked up the glass that sat on it, filling it up with water. It was important to hydrate after emotional outbursts. (The thought sounded far too much like Logan, and Virgil had to push that down too, else he might start longing for the company.) He took a few sips as he walked back into his bedroom. He didn’t move towards the bed, electing to sit at his desk instead. When he was still once more, though he tried to avoid them, his thoughts began to dance back into his mind. 

‘What if they stop wanting me around?’   
‘What can I do to fix it?’  
‘How can I prove him wrong?’

When Virgil finished the water he peered towards his door. How could he prove him wrong? Virgil less so knew that he was wrong, and more so just wanted to believe it. If Virgil was like Janus, motivated by fear and preservation, how would his found family ever really begin to trust him? How could he prove that he wouldn’t just spiral out on them? 

A new thought appeared, one that was tempting. 

‘Let’s go in the Imagination.’ 

Virgil found himself walking towards his door before he really began to process what his plan was. When he opened, the hallway was dark, none of the other side’s doors emitting any light. When he moved to step forward, he suddenly found his foot landing in something that was clearly not carpeted floor. He looked down and found he had stepped in the plate of spaghetti that Logan must have made him. Virgil groaned and rolled his eyes, summoning the mess away, before he continued on his quest. 

As the anxious side approached Roman’s door, he could feel a bit of his confidence seep out of him. He had never been in the other’s room without permission, and even then it was fairly a rare occurrence. When he placed his hand on the doorknob, he was surprised to find it unlocked, but then again, Virgil was perhaps the only one of them that had any real secrets to hide. 

‘Probably another reason why they cast you aside.’ 

Virgil cracked the door opening, looking inside. His first thought was that he might wake Roman, or see that he was still awake, and then would have to try and scramble out a reason why he was breaking and entering into his friend’s room, and he wouldn’t be able to lie either, refusing to resort to it. However, when he was met with nothing but Roman’s loud snores, he took a steadying breath before walking further in. 

He approached the door to the Imagination. It resembled the door from Steven Universe that led into the Gems’ rooms. Even the side’s different symbols were placed where the Gems would go on the door, though the star was replaced with a circle to accommodate all of the sides. Virgil thought it was kind of cute that Roman would make the door so personal for all of them. 

Until he remembered why he was here in the first place, and he suddenly felt hurt. Hurt that he could see his symbol here, even though it was clear that had no intentions of inviting him into this place.He wondered if the door would even let him in, wondered if Roman had somehow made it so that it was impossible for him to enter. There weren't any door handles or anything, so Virgil could only assume it worked similarly to how the door worked in Steven Universe. 

If he remembered correctly, the way Steven was able to summon the entrance to his mother’s room was through wishing or strong desires. Virgil wasn’t too thrilled about that. He took one glance at Roman, checking once more to see that the other was still sleeping. He moved closer, gently touching his symbol. 

“I wish you would let me in?” He whispered quietly, a hint of unsureness that was only confirmed when nothing happened. He sighed. 

“Right, didn’t think it would be that simple.”

He wracked his brain for what he could wish and hope for that would get the door to bend to his will. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the cool stone, running his fingers over the lightning bolt of his symbol. 

“I wish my friends would trust me.” Virgil closed his eyes as nothing seemed to happen. 

“I want to show them that I can handle this.” Still, nothing. 

“I want to prove to them that I’m not weak.” It came out softer than he had intended, feeling sadness bubble back up in him, but he couldn’t relish in it long, a soft purple light suddenly grabbing his attention. He stood back, watching his symbol light up and the door begin to give way to a portal. Virgil nervously looked towards Roman to see if the sudden light had woken him, but he didn’t budge, snoring just as obnoxiously as he had been a minute ago. 

Virgil turned back towards the open portal. Alright, he was off to prove he wasn’t weak. He could do that. He would go in, face whatever terrible thing the world threw at him, and then he would emerge and tell them about what he’d gone through. Then they wouldn’t have a reason to cast him away again. They’d trust him. 

With only a bit of second guessing, Virgil walked through the door. He existed in the purple vortex for only a second as the solid rock closed behind him. When he reemerged on the other side, he took a good look around. 

Virgil was surrounded by beautiful scenery. He was standing in a field, a gorgeous castle off in the distance that he could assume belonged to Roman, or at the very least he frequented the joint. Little gardens of flowers littered throughout the field, and to his right he could see a babbling brook perhaps a few hundred feet away. It was picture perfect, as if from a story book. It screamed of Roman and his influence. Virgil almost felt a bit giddy. He didn’t find these particular things all that riveting, but it was so Roman that it made him laugh. 

It was nighttime in the Imagination, seeming to match the day and night cycles of the real world, but everything still seemed to be illuminated. If not by the beautiful full moon, then by dancing fireflies that flew around. Virgil found himself following after a group of them as they flew around, curiosity striking him as he watched. He didn’t understand how this place could be so bad, it seemed like an absolute delight. 

“Alright, let’s add a bit of nightmare to this dreamscape.” He said to no one with a slight smirk. He remembered that one simply had to imagine something for it to be created here, so that’s what he did. He began to imagine that the rolling hills were much more jagged and tall. He watched with pure delight as the scene around him changed, matching what he was thinking. 

“What about the flowers?” He asked, before looking towards a patch of roses growing over off to the left. He closed his eyes and pictured that they were taller, their thorns sharpening. When he opened his eyes, exactly what he had been picturing is what stood before him. 

“This is so cool.” He said before jogging off towards the castle, wondering what else he could do to change this Disney-esque dream world to something a bit more Virgil approved. He found himself giggling as more ideas filled his mind. Friendly looking ghosts appeared near the brook, another patch of flowers contorted into a pumpkin patch instead. Anything Virgil could think of appeared, and the area became less like Cinderella’s kingdom and more like a Halloween town. By the time he had made it to the building, it too had changed itself to seem more like a haunted mansion, though just as tall. 

Virgil didn’t realize it was happening, but as he allowed himself to play, conversing with skeletons that suddenly appeared out of closets and running through doorways that could not logically lead to where they ended up placing him, he had begun to regress. But even when he did become more aware of it, it only made him more giggly and excited. It had been awhile since he had gotten to enjoy feeling small. Sometimes he would get so frustrated with his regression, since it seemed to be triggered more by negative emotions than the positive ones he so craved. So to be four and to get to play, to get to create whatever his child mind could want, it was exhilarating. 

He giggled as he ran outside, being chased by a vampire that had no real intentions of harming the kid. When he was back in the cool night air, he took a moment to catch his breath, the smile never leaving his face. When he turned around, the Vampire was suddenly a bat, flying off into the night sky. This was fun, the Imagination wasn’t so bad! He didn’t understand why the others thought he couldn’t handle being here, he seemed to be handling himself well! 

He took a look around him. Nothing remained of what he had originally walked into. The place felt significantly more like Virgil, and he wondered if maybe the Imagination was changing things on its own just to fit his aesthetics more. He couldn’t remember imagining the puppy sized spiders that were swinging by webs from the leafless black trees, but he was unperturbed, fascinated by the way they seemed to sway in the wind. 

“I wanna play…” Virgil whispered aloud, unsure if the Imagination would respond to his request, but suddenly a swingset appeared beside him. His eyes grew wide with excitement as he moved closer towards it. 

He inspected the set. It seemed sturdy, so it wasn’t like it was gonna fall apart on him, and the area of ground around it was suddenly sand, so if he fell off it would at least be a bit of a softer landing. Virgil tentatively moved to sit on the seat of the swing, and when it seemed that the whole thing was safe, his wide smile returned. Now he could swing, just like the spiders in the tree! He slowly but surely began to get himself moving through the air. And once he was high enough that he could see over the three, he began to feel himself laughing loudly, a warm joy spreading through him. Regressing could be so fun when he got to play! While he had some things at home, like his Poppy and things like coloring books, he had never gotten to play on a play set. Or let himself play hide and seek. Or do anything really that couldn’t be confined to a single bedroom. Even when he had used to regress with Janus while living with the Dark sides, most of his time spent regressed was in fear or sadness. 

He kept swinging, feeling his head grow fuzzy and light. He had done it! He had come into the Imagination and had had a great time! He didn’t get scared, didn’t go into ‘Worse Case Scenario’ mode. His friends would never have a reason to leave him behind, and he could shove it in Janus’s face that they weren’t alike. Virgil could handle himself. He let out a loud laugh, feeling a swelling in his chest. He was good enough, he was good enough!

“Virgil? What are you doing here?!” 

Virgil’s thoughts stopped immediately in their tracks, the voice scaring him. He yelped and tried to stop his swing, but as he scraped his feet into the sand, he was suddenly thrown forward, falling onto his hands and knees. He gasped at the pain, before looking back towards the voice. He was shocked to see Patton, wearing his daytime clothes and approaching him quickly. 

“Pat?” He squeaked out, trying to stand up, but the sand threatened to swallow him up. When he looked down, he suddenly realized the sand had turned into quicksand. He yelped and quickly pulled himself out, making sure he was standing on real ground, before looking back at the new figure. 

Patton’s eyes looked upset, and Virgil could feel something his stomach flipping. How had Patton known he was here? He tried to age back up, knowing he couldn’t be regressed around the others, and also he could feel panicked tears in his eyes. But it was like something was preventing him, a mental block that kept him feeling small, and now suddenly very scared. 

“Did you break into the Imagination? We told you you couldn’t come!” Patton said, his face riddled with disappointment. It made Virgil’s face flush, shame creeping into him. In the distance behind Patton, Virgil could see a storm forming in the background. 

“I-I just wanted-” Virgil started, his voice sounding small. He tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. 

“You came here without anyone knowing. How are we supposed to trust you?!” Patton accused taking another step towards Virgil. Virgil could feel his heart racing, even though he was sure Patton would never do anything to hurt him. But he felt like a deer in headlights, unsure how he could defend himself or try and make Patton understand. 

“I-I didn’t mean to--” He was cut off again when suddenly behind Patton, a new scene was unfolding. He couldn’t move his eyes away as he saw a cloud form into the shape of Joan and Thomas. Joan was yelling. 

“Why did you ignore my texts?” They asked, shaking their head. “We have so much we have to do, and you ignored me! Do you not care about your job anymore?” 

Virgil began to feel himself shake. What was happening, had he created that? He hadn’t thought about Thomas avoiding his script writing and Joan all day, not since leaving them in the living room. Virgil took a step back, but found no footing. He suddenly fell back, landing on his bottom. 

Patton didn’t even seem fazed when Virgil fell, but when he turned around and saw the scene behind him, he gasped and then looked back at the other, his voice full of accusation.

“Did you make that too?” He asked. Virgil began to shake his head no, feeling a few tears slip past his eyes, when suddenly to his right, Logan appeared, clearly annoyed. 

“Of course he did, we told him he couldn’t handle being here.” Logan said matter of factly, pushing the glasses up on his face. “He’s clearly manifesting these scenarios, it’s what he does.” He gestured towards Virgil on the ground. His lip began to wobble. Why were his friends being so mean to him. When he looked back at Patton, he noticed the storm getting closer. 

“You shouldn’t have come here, we knew you couldn’t control yourself.” Patton said, taking another step closer. Virgil tried to scoot away, instinct taking over, but he couldn’t run away. He was too little, he wasn’t sure he’d even know where to go. His attention was suddenly grabbed by a new scene forming behind Logan. Clouds reshaped themselves into a figure of Thomas on the phone. 

“Joan, please let’s try and work this out!” Thomas cried, gripping his hair tightly. Virgil mirrored the motion. “Please don’t leave me, we’re supposed to be best friends! I’m sorry I ignored you, please!” Thomas was crying, and now so was Virgil, doing everything he could to suppress the sobs that wanted to escape him.

“Stop it!” Virgil yelled, closing his eyes, trying to will away the scene. He wanted his friends to comfort him, to tell him things would be okay, but they were also overwhelming him, making him feel guilty and sad. When he opened his eyes again, Patton and Logan were glaring. 

“How are we supposed to trust you when you’re constantly thinking like this?” Patton asked. 

“You completely disregarded our concerns about you being here, and now look at what’s happened.” Logan said. They both took a step closer, and the storm got closer. 

“And what is with you?” A new voice. Virgil’s head whipped around to see Roman standing to his left, he wore a stern face that made Virgil tremble with a different kind of fear, one that sank like a brick in water right into his stomach. “Why are you acting like this? You did this to yourself…”

Virgil knew what Roman was going to say even before he could. He let out a shaky cry, unable to even form words as he pleaded mentally for Roman not to say it. 

“Why are you so weak?”

Behind Roman, a new scene began to unfold. Thomas was lying in bed, staring up at the night sky. His eyes were red from crying, but he still refused to move. Virgil didn’t even need to look up to know what Thomas was thinking. He was slipping into depression, he was falling apart, all because of him. Virgil didn’t have the heart to look at what was happening, couldn’t do anything except bite his lip to try and suppress all the emotions that threatened to spill out from him. He didn’t understand why this was happening. He didn’t understand why his friends were being so mean and why he couldn’t defend himself. Was he really so untrustful? Was he really so careless? Was he really so weak?

He felt weak. He felt numb. He could feel Patton, Logan and Roman closing in on him. He curled up on himself, trying to get big, trying to sink out, but he couldn’t do anything. He was a dumb weak baby who didn’t listen. If he closed his eyes tight enough, if he rocked a bit harder, maybe he could pretend he was back at home. He heard a loud boom of thunder fill the air, jerking his attention towards the sky. He gasped, before feeling the rain begin to soak into his clothes. The chill could be felt deep within him. Had he caused this too?

Now unable to hide in his thoughts anymore, Virgil could see that his three best friends were getting closer, and the scenes of Thomas were getting louder and more frantic. He didn’t know what would happen if they got him, but he could guess it wouldn’t be good. Before he could stop it, a loud wail escaped from him, a cry that begged for this nightmare to end, for someone to come find him. He felt hands grab his hoodie, pulling him into a standing position. Roman was lifting him off the ground. Virgil squirmed to escape. 

“I wanna go home!” He screamed, trying to jerk away. Roman’s face was blank. 

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asked. Virgil shook his head. 

“I wanna go home I wanna go home, I’m sorry!” He cried, going limp in Roman’s arms. He knew for a fact Roman wasn’t this strong, so the fact that he couldn’t escape only made him feel weaker. 

“Let him go!” 

A loud hiss could be heard to the side, and a flash of yellow caught Virgil’s eyes before he was suddenly dropped to the ground. He let out a pained groan. Roman was suddenly on the ground next to him, trying to fight off whatever was attacking him. 

Roman thrashed about, throwing the other off of him, before setting his sights back on Virgil. Virgil’s eyes grew wide as he tried to back away. Roman stood up, but his attention was stolen away by something behind him. Virgil took his opportunity to get up and try and run. 

He turned around, but Patton and Logan were standing in front of him, their eyes dark. Virgil had to blink away the tears to try and remain focused. 

“Leave me alone!” He yelled at them, before suddenly turning to the side and running. He saw the yellow again go after Patton and Logan just as he began running away. 

Virgil ran faster than he could ever remember running before. He was running towards trees, and he could feel the branches try to grab him and hold him still. Without warning he felt himself fall again, landing hard on his knees. He took the moment to catch his breath, before the weight of everything that happened began to finally sink in. The fact that he had failed. He couldn’t handle being here. His friends were right. Deep down, he could guess that those hadn’t actually been his friends, but rather figments of the Imagination that Virgil made, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He began to sob again, a broken cry. He took deep shuttering breaths, trying to do his breathing exercises, but every time he tried, his mind would simply fill with all the mean things he had heard. It didn’t help that he was still small, still couldn’t break from his regression. He was scared and alone and if he wasn’t careful the figures would return. 

Virgil let out another scream, but it was cut off by a warm body suddenly hugging him, cradling his head to it’s chest. He fought to pull away, but it held him closely. 

“Are you real?” The voice asked, and Virgil could immediately recognize it as Janus’s. An anguished relief washed over Virgil, feeling the presence of the other. Adrenaline still coursed through his body, but he did not feel the absolute terror that he did when he had been back with the others. This made him feel just a fraction better, and he was suddenly leaning into the hug, offering a small head nod to the question. 

“Do you hate me?” Janus asked, his voice shaky and unsure. Virgil couldn’t remember a time where he had Janus sound so scared. But his words rung in his ears. Did he hate him? He remembers he had said it earlier when they had fought, and then he had at least felt like he meant it. But now, he didn’t know, so he wasn’t sure how to respond. He leaned closer into the hug, wishing he could convey this. However, Janus’s body completely relaxed, and a gloved hand made its way into Virgil’s hair, petting at the nape of his neck. 

“You don’t have to answer, your silence is so much better than all the other one’s I’ve received tonight.” He said. It was gentle, but Virgil could hear the relief in it. He tried to pull away just a bit to look up at the other, but Janus held his head down, refusing to let the other up. 

“Please don’t look at me.” He whispered, and it was so broken, Virgil didn’t know what to say, if he could do anything. “The Imagination changes me, I don’t want you to see me.” He confessed. 

Virgil just offered a small nod of understanding, and he felt the other relax just a bit more. He stayed pressed against the chest, his tears having subsided now that he was feeling just a bit more safe. He wondered if Janus was the flash of light he had seen, and when he thought about it a bit more, the voice he had heard had sounded a bit like Janus’s, though a bit more feral. He let Janus’s thumping heart calm him, before he finally spoke up. 

“Wanna go home.” He whispered, hiding his face in the other’s chest. “I don’t wanna be here anymore.” He clung to Janus’s shirt, and it felt oddly reminiscent of how they had held each other earlier. Janus hummed. 

“I know Stormcloud, help is on the way.” Janus said, continuing his petting. Virgil didn’t know what that meant, but decided to believe him anyways. He let his eyes close. His wet clothes stuck to him uncomfortably, his hair clung to his forehead, but he still felt content. He didn’t feel so afraid anymore, didn’t think the fragments would come back, so long as Janus was with him. He let himself be held as the exhaustion started to take him. Janus seemed to sense this. 

“I know you don’t trust me.” He whispered quietly. “And I don’t intend for this to fix anything that happened today, but I promise I will protect you.” Virgil wished he could look at the other, get a good reading of what was saying. He simply sunk deeper into the other’s hold. 

“Don’t leave me alone…” He wisped out. Janus nodded. 

“Never.” Was all he said, before Virgil slipped off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Roman realizes that Virgil has went into the Imagination alone, it becomes a rescue mission to get his friend back safely.
> 
> +++
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, Remus being Remus (Though it's very subdue, imo), if I need to add more please let me know!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I know I said there would be one more chapter, but I am struggling to write the ending. So I wanted to post what I had written so I could try and clear my brain and focus on how I want this ending to go. There isn't any regression in this chapter, so if that is the only reason you're reading, you maybe want to skip this chapter (Though you would be missing plenty of plot relevant information!). Also, this is shaping out to be the longest story I have ever written (When I wrote fanfiction years ago, I had an ongoing story that came to around 14,000 words that I never finished), which I think is a bit exciting. As always, if there are any glaring spelling or grammar errors, please don't hesitate to point them out, and I hope that this small update is appeasing enough before we get to the final chapter!

Roman awoke in his bedroom, a gasp escaping from him as he rose. He looked around quickly, trying to figure out what had woken him. One minute he had been peacefully dreaming, and the next he had felt like eyes were staring at him, demanding that he wake up. It sent a chill down his spine just remembering the thought, but as he looked around, no threats or eyes could be found. He took a deep breath before looking over at his alarm clock. 

It was 1:32 in the morning. Roman was grateful, it meant that he could go back to sleep. However, as he started to get comfortable, something on his bed caught his eyes. He turned towards it, trying to get a better look at what it was. It was a small piece of paper with writing that Roman couldn’t quite make out. He leaned forward and picked up, snapping his fingers and creating, a small light so he could read the note. In shiny golden letters (And a miserable penmanship, Roman thought.) the note read:

‘Virgil is in the Imagination, please save him.’ 

Roman let out a small gasp, before looking towards the door in his room. Was this a trick? Why would Virgil go in without telling anyone? However, a sudden guilt washed over Roman as the fog of sleep left his brain. Of course Virgil had gone in alone, everyone had told him not to come. Why would he have sought out their company? But then again, why would he have entered the Imagination at all?

Roman threw the blankets off of him and stood up, quickly summoning his regular prince outfit on as well as his sword, feeling the weight of it at his side. He needed to go and get Virgil. The thought ‘’get Virgil” being very deliberate in the Prince’s mind. If he considered the possibility that Virgil needed saved, that would mean that Virgil was in danger, and Roman wasn’t ready to believe that his friend might be hurt in his domain and he hadn’t even sensed it, hadn’t been able to stop it. He wished that Virgil would have talked to them. They had learned so much today while Virgil was gone. 

But he had to set that guilt and regret aside. He needed to focus. He walked towards the door to the Imagination. 

“Take me to where Virgil is.” He demanded. The door responded quickly to Roman’s request, knowing better than to deny him. Virgil’s symbol lit up and as the stone slabs pulled away from themselves, a purple portal appeared. Roman did not hesitate to step in, ready to face anything to get his friend back. 

When he arrived on the other side, he couldn’t help the shock that plastered over his face when he saw the scenery before him.. The whole world had been changed, now looking something more akin to ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’. Roman could feel a pang of sadness seeing his work all messed up, but also slightly impressed. Virgil had managed to make all of this? Though he didn’t have time to mourn his Disney Castle loss, he did take a moment to relish in how well Virgil had done reshaping the world. It was incredibly impressive. But a cold thought filled his mind that reminded him of his quest. The world looked amazing, it must have taken hours to create. 

Virgil had been here for hours, all on his own. 

Roman took a shaky breath, before closing his eyes. He couldn’t focus on that, what he needed to focus on was finding his friend. This was his domain, he knew it like the back of his hand, even despite the physical changes it was constantly undergoing. He could sense where things were and who was around him. It always aided him when he wanted certain items that were stored away somewhere, or if he was seeking a certain adventure. But now his power was going to be used for something much more vital, and he prayed that it wouldn’t fail him now. He took a moment to meditate, concentrating on what felt different. He took a slow deep breath, and immediately he got a ping on something, a powerful entity that was running straight for him. 

“Who goes there?!” Roman demanded, releasing his sword for its sheath, prepared to fight whatever was approaching him at the ungodly speed it was. However, as his eyes adjusted to the low light, a figure slowly began to form, and it didn’t take that much longer for Roman to make out who that figure was.

“Beep beep, I’m coming for you!” Remus cackled as he ran, his feet merely blurs. His arms were spread wide open with the intentions of embracing his brother in a hug, paying little mind to the sword that threatened to stab through him. Roman only barely had enough time to drop the weapon from his hands before his twin was suddenly crashing into him, sending them both falling with a loud thud. 

“Remus!” Roman yelled, pushing his brother off of him before sitting back up. He was met with giggling. 

“I’m here to save you!” Remus proclaimed, before taking a look around. He hadn’t taken the time to get a good look at his surroundings, too busy focusing on finding Roman, most of his attention being pulled towards their game. When it finally occurred to him how different his side of the imagination looked from its typical magical flare, he wondered if Roman was going through some weird Halloween phase. 

“What do you mean save me, I don’t need to be saved.” Roman explained as he stood. He made quick work of picking his sword up and placing it in its scabbard as well as wiping the dirt away from his suit. The prince couldn’t help the slight annoyance that he felt towards his brother for interpreting his search. He didn’t need any distractions from finding Virgil, and so far that’s all that Remus was doing. Said twin tilted his head, still on the ground. 

“But I got your note! I thought you wanted to play.” Remus pouted, pulling the note out of his pocket. Roman took a look at it, recognition falling over his face before he looked at the other. So they had both received a note, but what could that mean? 

“That note wasn’t from me, Remus. What does it say?” He asked, hoping beyond hope that it would give a hint about where Virgil was, which would make his tracking easier. The Imagination has the possibility to be endless, Roman would need as much help as he could get. 

Remus frowned, confusion painting his face as he began to process the new information. “It says ‘I’m in the imagination, please save me.’” Remus said, before looking back at the note again. It had pretty golden lettering (In lovely penmanship, Remus thought.). He had assumed it had been from his brother, an invitation to perhaps play ‘Save the Prince’. Though they hadn’t played together in a while, he had jumped at the opportunity. Plus, who else would be going into the Imagination this late at night, and wanting Remus with them, of all people? He decided he needed to know who the note was from. And he knew exactly how he could figure it out. He placed the piece of paper in his mouth. 

“Remus, don’t!” Roman panicked at the thought of losing his only other clue. What did that message imply? Was the note from Virgil, the one needing saved? Why would he leave a note with Remus, and then also leave a second note in the third person with him? Unless someone else was in the imagination with them? With all these unanswered questions and very few leads, he didn’t want the paper ruined in case it could hint towards what was going on and how they could help. However, his plea did nothing, and Remus was soon eating the note, his face growing dark only a moment later.

“Shit shit shit…” Remus said with a hard swallow, finally standing up, gripping his hair lightly . “Shit Roman, it was from Janus, I could taste his fingerprints.” He said, looking at his twin with wild and terrified eyes, before his attention was pulled towards a storm in the distance. 

“Fuck, is Virgil here too?” He asked, beginning to piece together what was happening. This interesting looking world wasn’t the result of Roman, this had to be Virgil’s impressive handiwork. (Remus should have known his brother wouldn’t have embraced the macabre of skeletons and vampires). Remus couldn’t even take a moment to appreciate the little Emo’s work, fear coursing through him faster than his blood was. 

“Y-yes, why? What’s going on?” Roman demanded to know, sensing that his brother had more information. But Remus was starting to spiral, seeming unable to hear Roman’s words. 

“No No, Janey can’t be in here, it fucks his brain! And not the fun kind of fucking either! He must have followed Virgil in here to protect him or something. This place is dangerous for Janus. It makes him think weird thoughts about himself, it makes those thoughts real!” Remus looked back at Roman with wet eyes, and Roman couldn’t help but understand. That fear that Remus was exhibiting was the exact kind he was feeling for Virgil. He and his brother did not often get along, or share similar thoughts, or have much in common that wasn’t their power or their looks, but Roman could empathize with wanting to protect your friends and he knew the deep seeded burning that came with failing to do so. In any other situation, Roman may have left Remus to figure out his problems on his own, but he had a friend to save. And despite their difference, he knew that Remus valued friendship just as much as he did. 

“We will find them, I promise on my honor.” He said, offering his hand towards Remus, a gesture he probably hadn’t made in years. He could see the hesitancy in his brother’s eyes. “And it will be easier if we work together,” He added, knowing that their ability to find their friends would be amplified if they teamed up. Remus only took a second to consider the offer, before he was soon gripping Roman’s hand. 

The two shared reassuring smiles between one another, before they closed their eyes. They took a moment to meditate. They needed to focus on what felt off about the world, what stood out amongst the illusions. They could feel a couple of small pings scattered around the land, real items that had been brought or lost in the Imagination. A strong energy was coming from the storm, and they both grimaced when they felt it, knowing it had been made out of fear rather than out of desire. Then, without warning, just past the storm, they could sense a strong presence. It was almost overwhelming, and the twins could understand what that meant. They were together, and they were fighting hard. 

“Fuck, we have to get to them.” Remus said, yanking his brother’s arm to pull him out of the trance. Roman nodded in agreement. 

“Let’s move.” Roman said before running off towards the storm. Remus was right on his tail, resisting the urge to let all of his terrifying thoughts about what might have happened to the others fall from his tongue. They were both scared, not knowing what they might find when they got to their friends. 

As they got closer to the storm, their attention was suddenly pulled away from their running towards the scene that had been created. Blacked eyed versions of Patton, Logan, and Roman were screaming at each other, while different versions of Thomas and Joan wailed about. Roman didn’t even want to get closer, he could already sense what had happened here. A manifestation of Virgil’s frustrations about being left behind. He could feel the disappointment and anger the fake sides held for Virgil, and it killed Roman inside that their misguided actions had made him feel like that. 

“I really fucked up, hermano*.” Roman whispered, unable to pull his eyes away from the creation. Remus was entirely distracted though, looking off in the distance, noticing a streak of yellow running off towards a jagged forest, just near the border of his and Roman’s domain. 

“That must be the phrase of the day.” Remus said, his eyes following the light, before looking back at Roman. “We can deal with your dramatics later, Príncipe**, I think that’s them.” He said, pointing towards the disappearing light before running forward. Roman followed after quickly, though he was entirely uninterested in having to experience whatever Virgil had created. 

As they got closer to the three illusions, their words began to make more sense. 

“We can’t trust him!”

“He never could handle being here.” 

“He’s so weak.” 

Roman felt the last one cut through him, hearing it being said out loud in his own voice. He didn’t think Virgil was weak! He had never meant to imply that. Virgil was so strong, he always fought for what he believed in, something Roman was only beginning to practice for himself. And Virgil could be so brave. Even when he went into ‘Worst Case Scenario’ mode, he often fought through it and did the hard thing anyways, just because he knew it was right. It hurt Roman to know that he had made Virgil feel that way. It hurt hearing that he felt that they didn’t trust him, or that he didn’t belong. And he really thought he could have made that all go away with some cake and a sung apology. Roman felt naive, and stupid, and just a bit ignorant. 

“Damn, you guys really did fuck up.” Remus said, also taking in the scene before him. He could guess this was Virgil’s manifestation. Janus had shared some of the worst things he had experienced in the Imagination, and this didn’t seem reminiscent of that. Roman didn’t meet his brother’s eyes, and with a wave of his wrist the illusions were gone, turned back into clouds, no longer being able to stand their screams. With a bit more running, they eventually found themselves at the foot of the storm, taking a moment to catch their breath. 

Remus snapped and the storm began to stop, the clouds deciding to move on to rain on some other parade. He felt just a tad guilty destroying someone else’s hard work, knowing how miserable it was when he found one of his creations unceremoniously destroyed, but he figured the storm hadn’t been made on purpose anyways. 

“We need to be careful as we get closer.” Remus said, walking through the mud that had been created from the rain. Roman frowned at the mess, before sending it away with another flick of his wrist. Remus had to suppress the pout at the loss. 

“Why? We control this world, it isn’t like nothing can get us.” Roman said, but decided to match Remus’s pace anyways. 

“Yeah, we don’t gotta worry about any of our stuff hurting us, but J-anus isn’t really himself when he comes here.” Remus tried to explain, lowering his voice as they got closer to the forest they had sensed the energy coming from. “He fights hard to suppress it, but if he feels threatened…” Remus trailed off, leaving Roman feeling a bit perturbed. 

“Why? What happens when-” Roman was suddenly cut off by Remus shushing him, making the prince roll his eyes. 

“Do you hear that?” Remus asked, his voice very low. Roman took a minute to listen carefully, holding his breath. Faintly, he swore he could hear Virgil yelling, though he couldn’t make out any words. He looked over at Remus with concern in his eyes. Remus matched his gaze. They nodded towards each other and continued to walk forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Brother   
> **Prince


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Remus find Virgil and Janus, and do everything they can to ensure them that they are safe. 
> 
> +++
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, Panic Attacks, a small amount of fighting, crying, please let me know if additional warnings are needed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "final" chapter is finally here! This took a lot of energy for me to write, mostly because I was never quite satisfied with what I was writing. I really forgot this was supposed to be a Virgil Agere story and it ended up becoming the 'Project onto Janus' story a bit. That is why I plan on writing a bonus chapter for this story! Simply to address Virgil just a bit more. Though that may come out after I write some well deserved cute agere stuff because I super duper need the comfort right now lol.
> 
> If you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out! Also, I know a few of you had commented that you were interested in the Janus reveal. I hope that it isn't disappointing! 
> 
> Also, this is officially the longest thing I have ever written! Woo!

As they approached, the yelling became more coherent. The twin’s held their breath to get a better understanding of what was being said, though it was obvious that it was Virgil’s voice. “I hate you!” He screamed, his voice dipping into his Tempest Tongue, sending dark vibrations that seemed to shake the very world around them. “You’re a manipulative monster and that’s all you’ll ever be!” 

Roman and Remus stood behind a tree, both peering over either side to get a good look at what was going on. 

A dark eyed Virgil was standing in front of two figures cloaked in shadow. Moonlight shown on the anxious side, illuminating him but nothing else. He continued to scream at the figures, and one could be seen physically shaking. 

“You’re evil, and you make Thomas evil, and I wish I had never trusted you!” Virgil screeched, digging his hands into his hair, pulling on it hard. Roman almost made to rush forward, to confront Virgil and see what was making him act like this, but he was stopped by a hand grabbing his own. He turned to Remus in a frustrated huff, but paused at his words. 

“That’s not Virgil.” He whispered, before pointing to a new figure that seemed to be forming out of clouds. When Roman turned back to the scene, they both watched as an illusion of Remus went to stand by Virgil. 

“How long do you think I’ll put up with you fucking everything up? I’m tired of dealing with you, Snakey.” Remus’s illusion said. The real Remus rolled his eyes a bit. 

“That’s not even some of the juiciest shit he could have had me said, he’s just projecting about today.” Remus grumbled, though he was silently relieved that he didn’t have to witness some of Janus’s worst insecurities he had around the Duke. He waited to see if anything else would happen, before he gestured for Roman to follow him. 

“I’m not tired of you, Janus…” Remus said, his voice almost tired, as if he had done this song and dance before. He walked out into the scene, revealing himself to the figures, motioning for Roman to do the same. Large yellow eyes peered out of the darkness where the others sat. When they landed on the new addition of Remus, they softened, but when Roman came out as well, the fear returned to them. He quickly stood and hid behind the tree. 

“Stay away from me!” Janus hissed, lingering just a bit on the s. 

Remus sighed before slapping the ass of the Remus illusion, dissipating the figure into clouds. Roman rolled his eyes before dismissing the Virgil illusion as well, opting to instead send it off with a tap rather than adopting Remus’s approach. They both took closer steps towards the tree. 

“Sorry Scales, you’re unfortunately stuck with me.” Remus said with a wide smile. “I love you, can’t get rid of me that easily.” He added, before moving closer to the tree. He was met with only more hissing. 

“I...I don’t…” Janus couldn't seem to find his words, unable to convey how he was feeling. He looked around the tree he was hiding behind. His glowing eyes returned, though they were misty and dazed, as if confused, resembling something more akin to a feral animal that was cornered than anything. Roman felt concerned and slightly sympathetic. Though he and Janus had never gotten along much, he never would have wanted to see the other look so shaken. 

“Roman, just take Virgil and go, please.” Janus begged. His eyes followed the brothers as they moved closer to the tree. Remus made his way towards Janus, his hands already reaching up to grasp the other’s face with a gentle hold, Janus jerked away though, his eyes still fixated on Roman as he approached closer. 

“I will, I promise, I just want to make sure you’re okay--” Roman stated, moving to step closer towards Janus. The deceitful side let out a mangled cry, hiding deeper into the darkness. Remus made sure to wrap his arms around Janus’s waist in a loose hug, both as a means of comfort and to make sure he had a hold on the other so he couldn’t try and take off. 

“I’m okay, go!” Janus yelled, not pulling away from Remus, craving the easement that he received when he had his friend nearby. However, when Roman just shook his head again, opening his mouth to speak once more, Janus couldn’t stop the instinct to fight anymore.

“Go!” He screamed, lashing forward towards Roman, fangs primed for attack. Roman took a step back with a sharp gasp, moving his arms up to protect himself. Remus held his friend back, his arms tightening around the other and preventing him from finding purchase in the Roman’s skin. Janus writhed around in the grip a bit, attempting to escape. After taking a second to register that he hadn’t been bitten, Roman let his guard down just a bit to look at Janus. With him finally in the light, Roman could see what effects the Imagination had had on the side. His face was covered completely in scales, sparkling slightly in the moon’s beams. His eyes were unfocused and slitted like a snake, though they held the genuine human emotion of abject terror. His fangs were visible, and Roman wondered if they had managed to bite into him, if he would have been poisoned. His clothes were torn, revealing more scales crawling up his limbs. He still wore his gloves, but no one would have been surprised that if they were removed, claws would be where fingernails once were. When it began to dawn on Janus what he had tried to do, shaking his head lightly to release a bit of the haze, he tried backing away, as if he couldn't face what he'd almost done. He backed right up into Remus, whose arms tightened around him just slightly. He didn't fight the hold, but only because he knew he would lose. 

“I-I can't protect you from myself, you need to leave, all of you.” Janus said, but it sounded quite defeated. Roman couldn’t even begin to think of a response. How did the Imagination have so much control of Janus? How did it have the power to physically change him? Roman a few months ago might have used this as evidence that Janus truly was evil, that this was the real him. But he could clearly see how much Janus hated this, how much damage he had. He wanted to console the other, let him know that he didn’t think he was a monster. Perhaps a bit of a jerk, and a little manipulative, but certainly not evil (Despite what he might have said and thought in the past.) Roman opened his mouth to speak, reaching a hand out towards Janus, but stopped when he noticed Remus began to talk instead.

“You’re not a monster, Jan, you’re not gonna hurt anyone.” Remus said, readjusting his hold so that he was gripping Janus’s shoulders and staring at him with caring eyes. Janus’s gaze did not meet those eyes and instead stared at something in the far distance. Remus shook him lightly to get his attention. 

“I mean it!” He yelled, but Janus was already trying to pull away, the need to escape and hide overwhelming him once more. “You've made mistakes! That's okay! That doesn't make you evil!" Remus had to yell, not just because he was Remus, but because Janus could slip back so easily into self preservation mode, fighting and clawing his way until he felt safe. Janus made to push Remus and move away, but the other kept his iron grip on him. 

“You don’t know that, I just tried to attack Roman!” Janus retorted, still struggling in Remus’s arms. Janus couldn’t help the thoughts rolling through his mind like a boulder, promising to crush him. He couldn't help that he felt like a monster when he literally was the only side who looked like one. He couldn’t help but feel evil when he’s often butting heads with morality and logic itself. His instincts were for self protection and preservation, he is the definition of selfishness. Dark clouds began to form behind Janus as his thoughts ran. The twins looked towards them as they started to take forms. They shared a worrying look, before Remus let go of Janus’s shoulders in favor of pulling him into a deep hug. 

“You’re scared, Snakey. It’s okay that you’re scared.” He said, holding Janus protectively as two figures appeared behind Janus’s back. Dark eyed versions of Remus and Virgil returned, but Remus sent them a glare, daring them to speak up. “People lash out when they’re scared.” Janus stayed silent, clearly listening, Remus’s words taking effect. The figures began to flicker. 

“And you’re not a monster. A monster wouldn’t have stayed with Virgil to protect him, he would have eaten him. A monster wouldn’t have spent nights trying to fix his mistakes, he wouldn’t care about the people he hurt. Monsters don’t take care of their friends when they have nightmares or nurse them when they break all their bones. You do those things, because you’re not a monster. You wanna know what you are?” Remus asked, pulling away just enough so he could look at Janus’s face. His scales twinkled, and his eyes seemed to match that spark. Remus could swear they looked just a tiny bit more human. 

“You’re a scared little snake boy who protected Virgil in spite of your own instincts. That doesn’t make you a monster, that makes you a protector.” Remus’s hands moved up towards Janus’s face to cradle it, an action the deceitful side allowed this time. He didn’t say anything, didn’t think he could if he tried. But Remus understood how the other was feeling as the illusions behind him faded back into clouds, replaced by an air of relief. And if Janus perhaps cuddled into the other, finally feeling safe, then that was between him and Remus. 

Roman, for what it was worth, let the two have their moment, knowing his comforts were unneeded. He did sport a soft smile though. It was nice seeing such a display of love and care. And he knew he would need to do the same for his own little friend. And just as the thought flitted through his mind, Roman could see out of the corner of his eye Virgil start to stir. 

Now was his turn to take care of his friend. Roman moved towards Virgil and lowered himself so that he was right beside the other. Slowly he began to card his fingers through drying purple hair, further enticing the other into waking. Virgil began to fuss with a bit of a whine, one green eye opening up and looking towards Roman. The creative side offered a small smile, but it quickly was replaced by a frown as Virgil tensed up, their gazes locking with each other. 

“Y-you real?” Virgil asked, adopting Janus’s questioning since it proved to be effective in making sure he was talking to an actual person and not a figment of his imagination. He sounded so scared, and if Roman didn’t know any better (and he often didn’t), quite young. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but his first priority was reassuring Virgil.

“Of course, your hero is here to rescue you!” Roman proclaimed hoping to elicit a positive reaction from the other through his antics. Virgil was unimpressed, but his eyes seemed to relax a moment when he came to the conclusion that this was the real Roman. However, that relaxation didn’t last long as Virgil’s attention was suddenly pulled away, looking around. 

“Where Jan?” He asked, finally registering that he was no longer being held by the other. When he found that he couldn’t see the side he was looking for, he began to fear the worse. He looked back at Roman with tear-filled eyes. 

“I’m over here Vee, I’m safe.” Janus spoke up. When Roman looked towards the two again, Remus was hugging the deceitful side, slowly rubbing circles on his back. Content with knowing that his brother was still comforting Janus, he turned his attention back to Virgil, who looked just a bit calmer, though it wasn’t hard to tell that the boy was still nervous about what was going on around him, suspecting that the world might change and corrupt everything right before his eyes. Roman placed a steadying hand on Virgil’s shoulder.

“And you’re safe too now,” He said. Virgil just shook his head, his tears beginning to fall. Roman frowned at that, gently rubbing the other’s shoulder. “You are safe, I promise.” Roman tried to assure, but Virgil’s shaking just grew stronger. 

“I-I’m sorry---” He began to blabber out, but words were becoming too difficult as sobs and tears replaced coherency. He was sure that this was the real Roman, but that didn’t erase the guilt and frustration that Virgil was beginning to feel. Roman must be so disappointed in him. He broke into the Imagination, he changed the whole world, then made a mess of everything by proving that he really couldn’t handle being here. The others had been right to leave him behind, and now Roman would know that for sure. And on top of it all, Virgil was still regressed, still feeling like such a weakling. He couldn’t handle being here, he had broken down crying and ran away the second he was faced with conflict. His thoughts began to spiral out of control. Would Roman hate him? Would he never want to be around him anymore? Would he think Virgil was too weak? 

Warm arms wrapped around Virgil, pulling him into a deep hug. Virgil accepted the action, but it wouldn’t console him. He wailed, not wanting to lose his friends or lose their trust. He faintly could hear someone talking to him, but he could barely focus on what was happening. Clouds began to form behind Virgil, threatening to take shape once more into fragments of the anxious sides’ insecurities. Then suddenly, Virgil could feel a small tapping on his arms. He focused on it, anything to pull him away from the thoughts. He could feel the beat, and noticed the pattern almost immediately. 4-7-8. A reminder to breathe. Virgil latched onto the activity, grounding himself just a bit. He matched his breathing to the taps, his mind beginning to calm just a bit as he focused on Roman and the rising and falling of his own chest. Wordlessly, Roman watched as the clouds began to dissipate once more, and a small smile fell on his face. He buried that smile in Virgil’s hair. 

“You’re so brave, I am so sorry I ever doubted you.” Roman whispered, and Virgil could feel new tears form in his eyes, relief washing over him as he began to realize that Roman didn’t hate him. He reached forward and grabbed Roman’s sash, rubbing it in his hands as he let himself be held closer. 

“Virgil, I didn’t want you coming in here because I was scared you would get hurt. I didn’t think you could control yourself.” He explained, running his fingers over Virgil’s back. He could tell that the other was calming down, but still refused to pull away, perhaps more so for his own benefit at this point than Virgil’s. 

“But I messed up.” Virgil argued, also content with being held. “I made my bad thoughts real, and then cried.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to share the confession. Perhaps Virgil still felt that he Roman deserved to know the truth, that he hadn’t been strong and brave like he seemed to think he had. Roman shook his head though. 

“You didn’t make those scenes, Virgil, the Imagination did. And no one was here to remind you of that.” He whispered softly. He silently hoped that Janus would listen to his words too, as it seemed to apply to the both of them. He pulled away a bit to look at Virgil in his mismatched eyes. Said side wasn’t happy about it, attempting to snuggle back into the other’s chest to avoid the eye contact, but Roman was suddenly holding his cheek, keeping him from moving. 

“I realized it today.” Roman started his confession. “Thomas was pretty upset that we had left you behind, and he drilled us a bit more on why you couldn’t come. We tried to explain, and you know what he said?” Virgil shook his head no, though stared at Roman with wide eyes in anticipation. 

“He asked us why we couldn’t just keep you grounded.” He answered, but Virgil seemed not to understand what he meant by that. Roman nodded before elaborating. “He asked us what we did when you sometimes get overwhelmed. What do we do?” He asked, gently brushing his cheek over Virgil’s face. He couldn’t explain why he was being so soft with the other, perhaps a bit inspired by Remus (Roman would be loathed to think he had ever been inspired by Remus, but perhaps this could be the one exception) and the gentleness he displayed with Janus.

“You ‘mind me that I’m safe ‘n that I need’a calm down and sometimes Pat hugs me.” Virgil whispered, hardly bothering to try and hide the childish infliction of his tone. He wasn’t interested in being Big right now. Plus, Roman seemed endeared to the tone, his lips curving up, and Virgil would do anything to keep his friend in front of him smiling like that forever. 

“Exactly. And when we do that, we help you see that things are going to be okay. Thomas taught us that we could do the same thing here. And it seems to have worked.” He pointed out. Virgil nodded along, though he wasn’t sure how Roman could tell that it was working. “I just wish we could have talked about this before, we- I didn’t realize how badly we had hurt you.” Roman said with a sigh. Roman made sure to emphasize his involvement in Virgil’s pain. He partially did it because he didn’t want to speak for the others (Though he was sure Patton and Logan felt the same way), but he mostly did it because Roman wanted to make it clear that he had been in the wrong. For many years he had convinced the others that Virgil couldn’t handle the Imagination, never once considering that they could have helped him through it. 

Virgil was quick to try and comfort Roman, hating the frown that was on his face. He was a bit too little to understand that Roman was trying to apologize, though he seemed to pick up on the sentiment. He brought his hands up to Roman’s cheeks, squishing them slightly. 

“S’okay.” Virgil said, hoping to bring that smile back. It seemed to work, Roman’s eyes returning to life as the anguish faded away to laugh at Virgil’s actions. Roman decided to do the same to the other, grabbing his face and copying the action. Virgil squealed a bit, and wondered why he had never gone to Roman before while he was small, what had he ever been scared of? Roman didn’t think he was weak, he thought he was brave! He had said so himself. 

“Plus, you seem to have some great control over this place.” Remus piped up, interrupting the laughing fit that was happening on the ground. Virgil tensed up, not having noticed the other side before. Remus and Janus were walking over, the deceitful side’s having returned to a much more human state (or as human as Janus tended to be anyways.) They held each other’s hands tightly, both bending forward so that they were as eye level with the other two as possible. Upon concluding that these were the real people, Virgil let go of the breath he was holding. 

“You managed to transform the whole world so easily, I bet with the help of your friends, you could easily rival mine and Ro-Bro’s ability to control the domain.” Remus said with a wide grin. His compliments made Virgil feel sheepish, blushing a bit and moving to hide back in Roman’s shirt, though everyone heard the soft ‘thanks’ that he mumbled out. 

“This place needed a bit of a touch up anyways!” Roman declared. “You will have to come back and give your input, Virgil. You have an interesting taste.” He said, making Virgil look up at him, his face beaming. He was going to be invited back! He remembered he had had so much fun creating this world, up until all the scary stuff happened. But Roman had assured him that he hadn’t done that, he wasn’t doomed to create just scary things. 

“Perhaps tomorrow we can all come, and we can give you a proper introduction to this place.” Roman said, standing up. He helped Virgil to his feet as well, letting the other hold his hand even as they began walking back towards the entrance. Virgil nodded at the idea, excited to show the others what he could create in the Imagination. 

As all four of them started back towards the exit, nobody bothering to point out that they didn’t have to all go the same way, since Remus had an exit in his room as well (They would prefer to stay in each other’s company just a bit longer, though none of them would have been eager to admit that.) Remus and Roman switched places momentarily, prompted by Janus when he quietly asked to speak to Roman. Once standing at Virgil’s side, Remus began asking lots of questions about what all the anxious side had created, and if he would be willing to accept a few requests for the next time he came. When Roman was standing flush with Janus, he spoke up softly, not wanting Virgil to hear. 

“You will have to apologize again.” Janus stated, causing Roman’s eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Before he could speak up though and ask why, Janus carried on. “I can’t tell you why exactly, he’ll need to talk to you about it when he’s ready.” He looked over at Virgil softly. He was giggling at something Remus had said. It tug at Janus’s heart a bit, and felt a smile. “And, I think he’s close to being ready.” He added, before looking over at Roman. 

Though Roman didn’t understand why Janus couldn’t tell him what was going on, or why he would have to apologize to Virgil again, or what he meant by Virgil needing to be ready, but he decided to trust Janus. It took a lot for him to trust the other side, but he had proven tonight that he wanted to do what was right, and Roman believed in that. He gave Janus a nod, letting the other know he understood. And he would apologize again to Virgil, though he wasn’t sure when or how. Perhaps in the morning. 

The purple vortex returned to its original spot the moment the four arrived, as if letting the others know it knew they had learned the lessons they needed that day, and they could finally go home. They all stepped into Roman’s room, the lot of them ready to turn in for the night. With a moment’s thought, Roman snapped and was back in his pajamas. 

“Well, as enlightening as tonight has been, I am absolutely exhausted!” Roman said before walking over to his bed, flopping right into it. “If you wish to stay here for the night, that’s fine, but please let me get my beauty sleep.” He told the others, waving his hand to create a second bed in the room, though he kept his face buried in the pillows. Virgil giggled at the antics, before scurrying over towards Roman’s bed. 

“S’eep with you?” Virgil asked. Roman looked up a moment, before smiling slightly. He gave a small nod. 

“Of course,” He said before laying his head back in the pillow. Virgil climbed into the bed and scooted closer to Roman, their shoulders touching as he laid down on his stomach. 

Remus and Janus shared a look, before wordlessly agreeing to stay the night, simply because they were too tired to go back to their rooms, certainly not because they wanted to stay near the others. Janus helped tuck Roman and Virgil into their shared bed, since Roman hadn’t bothered to adjust the blankets. Remus helped by summoning a new comforter to throw over them, before both walked back towards the new bed, climbing in. 

All four of them fell asleep quickly, Virgil and Janus perhaps the quickest, both of them settling into the safety of being understood and feeling safer than they ever had in quite some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending is weak because I didn't know how to end it, btw. I rewrote this chapter several times, never really feeling satisfied. ALSO I had COMPLETELY forgotten I had created this whole subplot of Janus and Virgil's parallels, so I had to go back and incorporate that in again. It never got addressed directly by the characters because I simply forgot about it (Whoops) 
> 
> Also I hope that Janus reveal was okay ;-; I knew from the beginning that that's what I wanted from this story, a chance for me to project my frustrations with my own regression AND my ever increasing monster complex lol, so I hope that it turned out alright. 
> 
> ALSO: here's a small secret for those who read this far! I plan on writing bonus chapters for all of the stories I posted so far, specifically focusing more on fun agere stuff, rather than the angst I've been writing. I use my writing as a way to vent my frustrations about some of the hard mental health stuff I have been going through, but I really want just some stories that serve as a reminder that Age Regression can be fun, safe, and absolutely beneficial to the mental health of those who go through it. They will probably be a bit shorter (Though I can't promise that, since I am simply garbage at pacing my writing. This story was NOT supposed to be this long, lol), so hopefully people enjoy those. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


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